schools

From The Batavian's news partner, WBTA:

Batavia Middle School and the high school are OPEN. 

The announcement was made by School Superintendent Christopher Dailey shortly before 6 a.m. this morning in a voice mail message to parents.

Kindergarteners at Jackson School got firsthand experience at a Thanksgiving feast today with all the trimmings. The students filed into the auditorium, some of them dressed as Native Americans and others arrived as Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Teachers then served them a lunch of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn and apple sauce.

Above, Colin gets his meal, and below are Julia and Cameron.

Bullies like the passive response. It means they're getting to you. They like the angry or frustrated response. It means they're in control and you're not.

What children need to learn is the confident response. The response that communicates, you're not getting to me, but if you don't stop, I'll take control.

For bullies, that response is no fun.

And teaching children how to respond to bullies with confidence is the goal of a new anti-bullying program instituted by the Pavilion Central School District.

The Bully Boot Camp -- seven lessons that parents complete with their children -- was developed by Timothy Shoemaker primarily as an online course parents purchase from his Web site, timothyshoemaker.com.

One of the social workers at Pavilion, Chuck Kron, saw Shoemaker speak at Genesee Community College for a youth camp last spring and decided to check out his Web site.

"I thought he was a very effective speaker for the kids," Kron said. "You could year a pin drop. So I went to his Web site and checked out his tools and resources and I found them concrete, totally unique, boots on the ground, roll up your sleeves kind of stuff."

After some discussion, Shoemaker developed a plan to make the boot camp available to entire school districts. Kron liked the idea because it would allow school districts -- particularly Pavilion -- to provide the program to parents and students at no cost to the parents.

Pavilion did a trial run with the program last spring and is implementing it this year, making Pavilion the first district to offer the boot camp on a districtwide basis.

The program has already proven its effectiveness, Kron said. There was a student and parent who went through the boot camp in 10 days last spring. A few days after completing the program, the child showed up in Kron's office.

Kron admits that his first thought was along the lines of "oh, no, here we go again," but actually the student was quite proud of himself.

"He used a certain specific exercise to confront a bully in the lunch room and he felt good about it, and a lot more confident," Kron said. "He's been significantly less picked on, but when it happens he feels equipped and confident. He's no longer going home crying. He no longer wants to not come to school any more. Instead, he feels like he's got a little tool box to reach into."

Last night's introduction to the boot camp was attended by maybe a dozen or so Pavilion parents along with six or seven administrators from school districts in the area. Kron and the other administrators in Pavilion walked the group through what most of the seven-day course covers (ideally, a parent goes through the course in seven consecutive days with a child, with each session taking about 30 minutes).

Robin, a parent who attended said she's exicted to get started with her child, who had been a bit picked on last year and it's starting again this year.

"I learned (tonight) that I can give my son really great skills he can use as he is growing up
and can use in the future," Robin said. "It will help him in school and throughout his life. It's really important for my child because he's extremely passive. I'm hoping I can change that and get him to be more confident in himself."

One of the lessons, in fact, covers teaching a child how to act confident even if you don't feel confident. Body language, facial expressions and tone of voice can all be used to convey confidence even when you're trembling inside.

 "What this does is build up the victims' capacity to take the target off their heads," Kron said.

Implementation of the program doesn't mean the school district is letting bullies off the hook. The traditional methods of dealing with bullies -- punishments and consequences -- still exist and the district councelors will still try to bring about mediation and restorative justice, but the program is unique in providing students ways to neutralize bullies and helps give the parents the means to help their children.

"Often parents, when kids come home and say somebody is bothering them or somebody is bullying or harassing them, parents feel very powerless," Kron said. "They say, 'I wish I could just go into that school and tell that bully off myself.' Well, this gives parents something to do and channel that energy in a positive way that benefits their kids."

Top photo: Mike Brown collects examples of bullying from parents at Tuesday evening's introductory session. Bottom photo: Katie Newby tosses a wad of paper at Chuck Kron in a demonstration of the kind of practice a parent and child might do together on how to effectively respond to a bully.

Photos and information submitted by Aaron Brown.

Last week, the Pembroke Intermediate School celebrated Red Ribbon Week. Throughout the week, students and staff participated in Spirit Days, celebrating choosing a life that does not include drugs. The week concluded with a school-wide assembly and balloon launch.

Friday evening John Kennedy School hosted its annual Community Night. Nearly two dozen local businesses participated along with the police and fire departments and Mercy EMS. It was a chance for parents and children to enjoy some free pizza, play games and learn more about what the Batavia community has to offer.

NOTE: I'm a bit slow in getting these posted because the SD card in my camera turned out to be damaged, so it was a bit of a task getting the pictures off.

Press release:

Students in grades six through eight, who are new to Batavia Middle School, or transferring from a private or parochial school, are invited to attend an Orientation program on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. in the Middle School Auditorium. The program will include an overview of our Middle School and will be followed by a building tour. School counselors will be available for students and parents.

There's also this:

On Thursday, Sept. 5, Batavia Middle School will be holding their Orientation Day for fifth-grade students. Students will be participating in the “Connect Day” program throughout the day.

Fifth graders will spend the morning participating in team building activities, finding their lockers and meeting their teachers. During the afternoon, students will be experiencing traveling to their classes and meeting their counselors.

Fifth-grade students need to arrive to school by 8 a.m. and will report to homeroom by 8:07. All students will be dismissed at 2:45 pm.  

Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students will not report on Sept. 5. The first day of school for all Middle School students (grades five through eight) will be Friday, Sept. 6.

The BMS “Connect Day’s” purpose is to help fifth-graders feel more comfortable as well as help them achieve success in their first year at the Middle School. The program is designed to both welcome and support the fifth-graders by assigning them a Mentor (an eighth-grade student who has met the qualifications of being a good role model and a positive leader). Along with supporting House students, the “Connect Day” program helps Mentors develop leadership skills, responsibility and team work as they begin their transition process to the High School.

Anyone with questions is asked to contact Miss Rogers, fifth- and sixth-grade House Administrator, 343-2480, ext. 3001, or Mr. Eric Knapp, Interventions Counselor, 343-2480, ext. 3002.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) organized a meeting on Aug. 20 between State Deputy Secretary for Education De’Shawn Wright and more than 20 local school superintendents and Board of Education members. The gathering provided local education leaders with an opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions on the challenges facing schools and teachers in Western New York, as well as what the state must do to improve local education.

“The fact that the governor sent such a high-ranking education official to our community shows that our calls for fair aid allocation and greater control of our schools are being heard,” Hawley said. “Issues such as Common Core, mandate relief, special education programs, and eliminating the Triborough Amendment, Gap Elimination Adjustment and frivolous lawsuits were examined.

"The local education leaders in attendance did a terrific job of illustrating to Deputy Secretary Wright the need for equitable school aid regardless of geographic location or socio-economic status. The meeting helped make the point to the highest levels of the State Education Department that children in low-wealth school districts deserve the same opportunities as kids in wealthier areas.

"I thank Deputy Secretary Wright for taking the time to travel to our community as well as all of the local education leaders who did such a tremendous job showing how much Western New York cares for its students.”

Press release:

Documentary filmmaker Ramona Persaud is exploring how teachers can use brain science to engage students of all ages and academic abilities in her new film “Grey Matters,” which begins production next month at Batavia High School, in Batavia, N.Y.

The film will follow three schools over the course of the 2013-2014 school year—Batavia High School, Batavia, N.Y., Roland Park Elementary in Baltimore, Md., and Westmoreland Community College in Youngwood, Pa., — as they implement the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model, developed by Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., co-founder and director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative.

Hardiman’s teaching model, developed in 2003 and currently being practiced by more than 300 educators in schools around the world, promotes critical, divergent thinking that equips students with real-world knowledge and the ability to use it.

Persaud’s film will examine the question “Can neuroscience remake the teaching process, and if yes, what does that look like in practice?” The three teachers featured in Persaud’s documentary will implement Hardiman’s model, which designates six brain targets for the teaching and learning process. 

The film will follow these teachers in their mission to shift the learning process for their students, and transform school into a place where students learn to solve problems that require answers, instead of a place where students solve problems that have pre-determined answers.

Persaud was inspired to create this film after attempting to home-school her preschool daughter. Persaud discovered Hardiman’s Brain-Targeted Teaching Model and believed this model could be beneficial for not just her own daughter, but for all students.

“Like most parents, I want my kids to receive the best education possible,” Persaud says. “This teaching model really clarifies how kids process information. By following three classrooms over one school year, this film will illustrate what brain-based teaching really looks like, and how it can measurably improve academic performance.”

About Ramona Persaud:

Ramona Persaud is an independent documentary filmmaker, writer, and photographer. "Grey Matters" is her second film. Persaud’s first film, "It’s a Different World," explores the world of autism through the eyes of three autistic children. Visit www.greymattersdocumentary.com for more information.

About Mariale Hardiman:

Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., is the assistant dean for Urban School Partnerships and Clinical Professor of Education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and the co-founder and director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative. Before joining Johns Hopkins in 2006, Hardiman served in the Baltimore City Public Schools for more than 30 years. As the principal of Roland Park Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, Md., she led the school to its designation as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.  With the use of the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model that Hardiman developed, the school was recognized by the Kennedy Center as a School of Distinction for arts programming and arts integration. Visit www.braintargetedteaching.org for more information. 

To remain competitive, Genesee Community College must grow and expand its facilities, college President Jim Sunser told the County Legislature's Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

The committee approved a $42.5-million Facilities Master Plan for the college.

Half the funds for the new buildings and improvements will come from state grants, Sunser explained, and while the county is technically on the hook for the other $21 million, GCC is uniquely positioned to quickly pay down any debt.

"This is a very responsible plan that not only moves us forward and continues to make us a competitive choice for students in the region, it will help ensure Genesee County students don't opt to go to one of the other schools," Sunser said.

GCC, he noted, competes for students with Erie, Niagara, Finger Lakes and Corning, and if a Genesee County student decides to attend one of those schools, the county must pay a fee to those other community colleges for each student that enrolls.

The neighboring community colleges have all recently made significant additions to their campuses.

"These colleges have made improvements and are already ahead of us in terms of square footage and services," Sunser said.

However, because GCC is the only community college in the GLOW region, it draws students -- and revenue -- from neighboring counties, which is one way the college can help pay for upgraded facilities.

The other, he said, is the successful GCC Foundation, which does a good job of raising funds to support the college.

Even though the college will come back to the Legislature to seek approval for specific projects under the plan, it's important that the entire plan be approved now so the college is in line for state funding as it becomes available.

Getting into the queue now, Sunser said, will make fundraising easier.

The two big components of the facilities plan include:

• A "student success center," which will be a "front door" for new and current students;
• A multipurpose college and community event center, which will help bring more events -- with greater economic impact -- to the community.

The new buildings will also help free up more of GCC's existing space for instructional use.

Press release:

From as far away as Connecticut and as close as Monroe County, Genesee Community College welcomes a class of new administrators and directors to its main campus in Batavia. These leaders bring fresh ideas and extensive experience to help GCC continue to meet the needs of students and the community.

Kathleen (Kate) Schiefen, Ph.D., joined the College July 1 as provost/executive vice president for Academic Affairs. Schiefen will oversee all academic programs. She has more than 20 years experience in higher education and comes to GCC from Monroe Community College in Rochester where she served as dean of Academic Services at the Damon City Campus for the past four years. Previously, she was a department chair, tenured teaching faculty member and adjunct instructor at MCC and dean at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. She earned an A.A.S. in Radiologic Technology from Trocaire College, a bachelor of science degree in Organizational Management from Roberts Wesleyan College, a master's in Adult Education from the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University.

GCC is pleased to welcome back to campus Kristen Clark Schuth, who became director of Athletics May 1. Schuth was head softball coach at GCC from 2005-2010. She returns to Batavia after serving as assistant director of Athletics at Finger Lakes Community College. A native of Hilton, Schuth starred in basketball and softball at SUNY Brockport where she was named female athlete of the year and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She earned a master's in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania. She resides in Spencerport with husband, David, and sons, Gavynn and Austynn.

Michelle Slawiak joined the GCC family July 8 as the new director of the Campaign for the Genesee Community College Foundation. Slawiak, of Buffalo, comes to GCC from the Botanical Gardens of Buffalo and Erie County where she served as an event and wedding coordinator. She previously served as the annual giving director for the Buffalo Niagara YMCA and as a development associate for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Canisius College.

Reid Smalley began his position as executive director of Workforce Development in The BEST (Business Employee Skills Training) Center April 15. Prior to GCC, he served as dean of Workforce Development, Continuing Education and Community Services at Middlesex Community College in Middletown, Conn. He has also worked at community colleges in Harrisburg, Pa. and Johnstown, NY. He holds a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Resources from Michigan State University and a M.Ed. in Training and Development from Penn State University.

A graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy, Stephen Wise took over as director of Public Safety at GCC May 1. Wise served as director of Safety and Security for the Churchville-Chili Central School District for the last three years. He retired in 2009 from the Greece police department. A resident of Rochester, Wise holds a bachelor's degree, from SUNY Brockport and a master's degree from Keuka College.

Finally, the new Dean of Distributed Learning, Craig Lamb joins the College Aug. 12 from SUNY Empire State College's Center for Distance Learning (CDL) in Saratoga Springs. Lamb has worked as an assessment specialist in CDL's Office of Academic Review and, for the past six years, as director of Academic Support Services. He will continue to build the dynamic online learning program at GCC, where online enrollment now accounts for 15 percent of total enrollment. Lamb is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. He holds a bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University, master's from SUNY Plattsburgh and is completing a Ph.D. from SUNY Albany.

Rep. Chris Collins told graduating Oakfield-Alabama students Sunday: slow down.

Collins recounted all that might be taken for granted today that didn't exist when today's seniors were born: DVRs, GPS, iPhones, Google, Twitter, text messaging, satellite radio. The pace of life has quickened, but students can navigate the fast pace of 21st Century life if they have core values and take time to weigh their decisions against those values.

"With all of these advances in your lifetime, can you imagine what the next 18 years are going to bring?" Collins said. "Now that I've spent the past several minutes preparing you to think about the speed of life, I'm going to give you some advice that may seem counterintuitive: slow down."

The young men and women of the 2013 graduating class should take time to write a personal vision statement to guide them as they go forward in life, Collins said.

"As everything around us moves faster, or at least it appears to, I think it is all the more important that you take time for what really counts," Collins said.

Graduates should take time, he said, to ask themselves, "What do you stand for?"

"Life is all about choices," Collins said. "What you do, what you say, how you make people feel are all choices."

Collins closed with a quote from Elbert Hubbard, the WNY writer and thinker from the 19th Century.

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.

Today's graduates should take action, get involved and make a difference, Collins said.

O-A's top 10 graduates: Paige Chatt, Jessica Cherry, Chelsea Cleveland, Jennifer Crossen, Brittany Denton, Kerry Mills, Teresa Natalizia, Alyse Shamp, Katie Spence and Morgan Zakes.

Valedictorian Jennifer Crossen

Salutatorian Brittany Denton

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia honored the top 10 seniors of Batavia High School during its weekly luncheon today.

Honorees were Jenna Mancuso, Niha Idrees, Alexis Logsdon, Andrea Raphael, Rachel Paige Henrici, Rebecca Zinni, Maria Robusto, Lindsay Wrobel, Mark Zinni and Zachary Hale.

Winning awards were Logsdon for citizenship, Samantha Mitchell for band, Wrobel for orchestera and Kaitlin Logsdon for chrous.

Last week the club honored the top 10 seniors from Notre Dame: Timothy Bergman, Ashleigh Cheverie, Margaret Marchese, Madison Cluck, Riley Norton, Jeongui Park, John Tipton, Grace Bergren, Julian Blackburn-Baskin, and Lindsay Hilburger. Awards were given to Peter Kehl, vocal, Cheverie, instrumental, and Bergren, citizenship.

UPDATE: Joe Scanlan e-mailed us pictures from last week's lunch with Notre Dame.

A weekly business newspaper in Buffalo published a ranking of WNY elementary schools and one Genesee County school made the top 10.

St. Paul Lutheran School is the 10th best in academic achievement over the past four years, according to Business First.

Photo and information provided by Mark Warren, VP Batavia Teachers' Association:

Members of the Batavia Teachers' Association and their families attended the NYSUT One Voice United rally on Saturday June 8th in Albany.

Speakers representing parents, teachers, and various other groups highlighted the major issues that need to be addressed to help our students and our schools including over-reliance on expensive corporate developed tests, equitable funding of schools, and protecting the safety and privacy of students and staff.

Over 20,000 teachers, parents, and students attended the event.

Fifth-grader Jordon Armstrong was so thrilled to play Abraham Lincoln today that when his mom walked him home from Batavia Middle School he didn't want to take his costume off. I came across him on Bank Street.

Q: What did you like about being Lincoln?

A. "I liked everyone to talk to me and said nice things about me."

Q. What do you like about Lincoln?

A. "He stopped slavery."

Q. Why didn't you want to take your costume off?

A. "It's so cool to wear the costume."

Since the day Anthony Platek entered kindergarten, there have been 2,265 school days.

Platek never missed a single day. He graduates from Pembroke High School with a perfect attendance record.

"I just showed up," Platek said. "I came every day, sick or well. People ask me, 'how come you never got sick? How did you do it?' Well, I never said I wasn't sick."

Vice Principal Nathan Work said it's quite an accomplishment.

"We have students who get perfect attendance every year, but Anthony was the first student in a while who has received perfect attendance since kindergarten," Work said.

For the accomplishment, Platek was honored by the school and among his gifts was a Dragons football jersey with his name on it and the number "0" for zero days missed.

Platek said he never really set out to achieve a perfect attendance record.

"I guess you could say kind of happened," Platek said. "I just showed up. I did my thing. I was an average student, really."

Alexander Elementary School hosted a community "Picnic in the Outdoor Classroom" this afternoon, which featured a chance for parents and children to explore the park together.

The state police also provided a bycicle helmet fitting booth for children. Above, Trooper John Szymkowiak fits 4-year-old Anna, of Darien, with a helmet.

According to the unofficial vote count released by the Batavia City School District, voters approved the district's budget and approved the capital project.

The $41,981,241 spending plan received 505 yes votes to 201 no votes.

The $3.8 million capital project was approved 454 yes votes to 233 no votes.

Also approved 557 to 128 was a change to the transportation plan.

For the results of school district votes throughout Genesee County, WBTA, The Batavian's official news partner, is tracking the results: click here.

Elba Central School teachers Jeremy Rath and Tammy Plucknette were recognized today in a faculty meeting in the school's cafeteria for their recent accomplishments.

Rath (right in the top photo) has been named an Outstanding Music Teacher by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Plucknette (second photo) was selected from among 3,000 applicants to be among 200 teachers on the Learnzillion Dream Team.

Learnzillion is developing curricula and material to help teachers implement common core lesson plans as part of new federal guidelines.

She just returned from a four-day trip to San Francisco to learn how to make videos for Learnzillion's Web site.

Rath was selected from among music teachers in nine Western New York counties and will be honored at RPO's concern May 9.

"This means great things for Elba," said Stephanie Rudman (with Rath, top photo), who helped organize the recognition reception. "We're a little school in Genesee County and we have two awesome teachers. It's a small reflection of all the teachers we have in Elba. It's a great school."

Below, Principal Chris Salinas presents the teachers with certificates of appreciation.